SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Sept. 2, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A 15-year-old has been arrested after a fatal drive-by shooting in June in Salt Lake City.
“On Wednesday, Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Chief Mike Brown met with members of the Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander community to start a reconciliation, rebuild relationships and to provide additional updates about the shooting death of 20-year-old Sean Amone,” said a news release from Salt Lake City Police Department Thursday.
“As part of the meeting, Chief Brown provided an update and announced detectives with the Salt Lake City Police Department booked a 15-year-old male into a metro-area juvenile detention center. The teen arrested is the suspected shooter responsible for Sean’s death.”
The shooting on June 6 at 1354 N. General Drive also wounded four others; four of the victims, including Amone, were graduates of West High School, while the fifth victim was a graduate of Highland High School.
“Because the suspect is a minor, no additional information can be released,” the news release said. “The arrest was made June 8, 2021. Although this announcement is being made public today, the SLCPD made sure to inform the victims’ families from the onset of this investigation of all case developments, including the arrest.”
The group was attending a graduation party when the drive-by shooting took place.
Salt Lake City police told Gephardt Daily at the time officers were called to the scene outside the home in North General Drive at about 1:40 a.m.
When officers arrived, they found multiple victims with gunshot wounds, Valencia said. Four of the people went to local hospitals in stable condition. Amone was declared deceased at the scene.
Amone was standing with several others in front of the residence when shots were fired from a passing car, according to witness statements.
In June, and in response to the fatal shooting, the police department launched a twice-monthly meeting with the Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander community. The event is held at various locations throughout the metro area.
“The purpose is to build trust and to ensure understanding and respect of the proud cultural differences in our community,” the news release said. “The most recent meeting was held Aug. 24 at the Tongan United Methodist Church in West Valley City.”
The news release added: “During their conversation with the mother of one of the injured victims from the shooting, Mayor Mendenhall and Chief Brown expressed their condolences to the families impacted by the tragic shooting and committed to stronger and robust relationships that are centered around knowledge and communication with the NHPI community.”
Community members wishing to learn more about future NHPI community meetings should contact SLCPD Community Programs Manager Dustin Parks via email at Dustin.Parks@slcgov.com.
“The June 6, 2021 shooting is an active homicide investigation with regular investigative follow-up being conducted,” the news release said. “The detective division of the Salt Lake City Police Department continues to provide regular updates and victim advocacy and support to the family members affected by the shooting.”
Anyone with information on this shooting should call 801-799-3000 and reference case number 21-96966, officials said.
